The PLZ83 (PLZ83式152毫米自行加榴炮) was the very first self-propelled howitzer of PLAGF from 1980s as the key equipment of army mechanization. Due to the lag in development of general-purpose tracked platforms and the demand for replacement SPHs for the fleet of WWII Soviet tank destroyers, the PLAGF had already attempted to modify the ZSD63 chassis into the Type 70-I SPH with an obsolete 122 mm WWII era howitzer, with almost non-existent protection and reliability. Soon after the approval of economic reform and military modernization in 1978, the PLAGF issued the mission to vehicle factories for a domestic 152 mm SPH; thanks to the joint efforts of the three factories involved, the prototype was soon built in 1980 and two more were produced in 1981, using the new WZ321 tracked platform specifically for heavy guns. The vehicle, now named Type 83 (PLZ83 after 1987) was certified in November 1983 and was publicly shown in the 35th National Day parade. With new guided 152 mm shells and integration into the PLAGF's datalink network, both PLZ83 and PLZ83A are still one of the cornerstones of the PLAGF artillery corps until the more advanced 155 mm PLC181 and PLZ05 series replace the remaining 152 mm calibre towed guns and SPH.

Introduced in Update "Kings of Battle" as the first domestic SPH of the Chinese ground tech tree, players will see similarities with the 2S3M, as both of them were based on the same D-20 (PL66) 152 mm howitzer.